Surface door latch



Aung 11, 1959 s. PoLcHlNsKl ETAL 2,899,228

SURFACE DOOR LATCH Filed July 9, .195e

United States Patent SURFACE DOOR LATCH 'Stanley'Polchinski'anitGeorge 1I. "Rusci'ano, New York, vN.Y.

Application' July 9,1956, Serial No.1596,728

6Clalims. (Cl. 292-1769) lThis 'invention 'relates to Ia "door 'latch and Jlocking "mechanism therefor, an'dmore particularly to lsuch fan articleofmanuiacture suitable for use on interior-doors of a dwelling.

On'e of the objects of the invention -is 'to vprovide such "alatch and locking mechanism'whichmaybe applied'to=a doo'rby lforming asimple Vinotch saw eut inthe edge ithereof.

A -further `object is 'toiprovide a door latch 4and locking mechanism whichmay `be'applie'd'as-aunit Without disassembly -or reassembly. Y

.A still further object is to enableth'e latch .mechanism `to be operated bya knob `or similar'handle located at either `vside of 'the door and mounted upon l-inleperident shafts disposed solely on the outside of-theldoorestructure.

`Anotherabject is to`providc a door latch andl'ocking mechanism which is ofaninexpensive construction and which maybe applied'to fa door'withtheminimum of time, labor and skill.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In accordance with`the presentinventionthelatch and lock mechanism 'comprisesra AsimplelU-'shaped base frame `which:passes over the edge of the-.door withatherinter- .mediate web vportion seated in the .base of `a V-notch, which'may Ibe readily saw cut into the edge of :the-door, :aU-shaped zescutcheon which alsoits over the=edgeof y:the doorand supports the knobsor handles at .either side and has, in the bight thereof, a latch retaining well, and latch operating and locking means entirely contained between the base frame and the escutcheon and inter-connected with each knob for independent opera tion thereby. The mechanism may be applied as a unit to the notched door and secured thereto by a number of wood screws.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a section of a door with the latch and lock mechanism of the present invention `applied thereto:

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing the mechanism at the right side of the door as viewed from the open edge, with the escutcheon and knob removed;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Referring rst to Fig. 2, the entire latch and locking mechanism is applied to a door by the expedient of two straight saw cuts 11, 12 forming a V-notch 13 in the edge of the door. A U-shaped base frame 14, Fig. l, ts over the edge of the door with the central section 15 thereof passing through the base of the notch 13 and the arms 16 thereof, which are symmetrical, positioned adjacent the opposite sides of the door. Each arm 16 carries a rigid post or centering rod 17. Also itting over the edge of the door is a U-shaped escutcheon comrice:

operating spring 25.

'Each 'of the 'escutcheon fp'lates y1:8 and -19 `is formed with a Ygenerally'pear'shaped'raised portion 26, as shown in 'dotted 'lines :in Fig. v2, spaced from Athe frame m`em ber '1'4 to iprovideclearance `for the frarne'side arms L16 and the latch operating mechanism.

"The latch Iis `drawn inwardly, against Athe pressureof "spring 25 by apair'of pull rods 27, 2-8 secured to the ibody of the bolt and extending outwardly through vslots 29 in the opposite sides of the Well'23. The rods l27, '2S are .bent `to conform generally with the contour'of the escutcheon :plates ('18, l19. Rod y'27is detachablyfsecured by a notch 301to`the 'turnedup end 31 of an operating slide 32 and rod '28 :passes lthrough an-opening in the -turnedup "end 33 of Ioperating slide 34 Vand is provided with an enlarged head 35 in contact with end 33. These slides 32 and 34 are contained within guiding flanges 36, 37 upturne'difromthe side plates I6-of the frame 1'4 and are'bifurcated or slotted at-'38 tosli'deoverthe .posts V17 with 'the spaced 'ends ybent up to form *tabsf or pa'ds 39, 40.

The operatingmeansformoving the slides'32, 34ito the right, 4as viewed Ain '-Fig.' 2 comprises a director Iwheel 41 mounted 4'on 'the 'centeringfpost 17 vand 'held loosely lth'ereonby adisc'42held toth'e post V17 by'a screw 43.

The wheels 39 Varecut away Vthough half or" their circum'erenCe'adjaCent'tOtthe'ftabs39, 40 of slides '32 and 34 .and are eachprovided'with Iradially extending -pads 44,

45 whichlay adjacent tothe-tabs 39, 40^in the rest condition of the latch and whicheserve to move the -slidetto 'the right to'drawthe latch or bolt 24into itshousing23 when :the *director wheel isrotated in'either-direction. This rotation.v is elected Aby the knobs l46l orl 47 the Shanks 48 'of which fit Uover the "ring 49 nextendingfoutwardly from the bevel of each of the escutcheons 18 and 19, which are apertured at 50 to engage the end of a spring clip 51 carried by each of the director wheels 41.

The bolt 24 is adapted to be locked from one side of the door by a locking pin 52 extending through the side 19 of the escutcheon for manual `depression into locking position. The pin 52 is in the form of a at strip 53 (Fig. 3) which is contained in a guideway formed by the bent over ends 54, 55 of the web portion 15 of frame member 14. The latch well 23 and web member 15 are joined by reinforcing angle member 56. Inward movement of the locking rod 52 effects engagement of its lower end, as viewed in Fig. 1, with pull rod 27 so as to depress it out of operative engagement with the slide 32. The slide is slotted at 57 for free passage of the pull rod 28 and a cam lug 58 carried thereby, in the unlocked or retracted position of lthe pin. In the locked position, the squared end of the slot moves inwardly across the face of the cam lug 58 so that operation of the knob 47 will actuate the pull rod to cam the locking rod upwardly to unlocking position.

In order to provide a means for unlocking the door from the non-locking side, in case of emergency, an opening 59 is provided in the escutcheon side plate 18, opposite the end of the lock pin through which a suitable tool, wire or similar instrument may be inserted to engage the locking pin to force it into unlocked position. The slide 52 is detented in either locking or unlocking position by a detent having a head or button 60 disposed within the latch well 23, against Iwhich the spring 25 rests, and a rod 61 extending through the base of the well and engaging one of a pair of depressions 62, 63 formed in the locking slide 52.

The spring 25 normally urges the draw slides 32, 34 to the left into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the pads 39, 40 carried thereby engage the pads 44, 45 on the wheel 41, thus limiting the outward movement of the latch and retaining the knobs in their central or normal position. However, in order to assist the spring 25 in this movement of the latch, the knobs and the intermediate linkage to this normal position, we have provided a pair of centering springs 64, 65 for each knob. These springs are contained in a recess 66 formed in the end of the director wheel and are compressed between a stationary lug 67 carried by the retaining plate 42 and a pair of lugs 68, 69 carried by the wheel 41 within the recess 66. Movement of the knob in either direction to retract the latch will compress one of the springs 64 or 65, which upon release of the knob will, in conjunction with spring 25, return the knob to its normal central position.

It is to be understood that the latch retracting mechanism may take other related forms and that other locking arrangements may be employed all within the scope of the invention. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered as illustrative and not restricting in nature.

What we claim is:

l. A door latch adapted to be applied to a door having a V-notch in the edge thereof, comprising a U-shaped escutcheon member having two substantially parallel side plates having a part thereof spaced apart to correspond to the thickness of a door for engagement with the opposite sides of the door and apertured for door fastening members and an intermediate portion engageable with the edge face of the door, each of said side plates having a further part thereof spaced a substantial distance from said intermediate portion and offset outwardly so as to be spaced from the sides of the door, a latch well carried by said intermediate portion adapted to be received in said V-notch, a latch in said well, spring means urging said latch outwardly, a second substantially U-shaped frame having parallel side frame members contained Within said offset side parts of said escutcheon and spaced apart a distance equal to said spaced side plates for engagement with the side faces of said door and having a web portion spaced from said intermediate portion and adapted |to Ibe received in said V-notch adjacent to the apex thereof, means for anchoring said web portion to said latch well, latch retracting means disposed in part between said otset side parts and said side frame members and receivable in part in said V-notch and a manually operable member carried by each of said side frame members and operatively connected to said latch retracting means for independent operation thereof.

2. A door latch as defined in claim 1 having a locking member carried by said web member and selectively engageable with said retracting means to preclude retraction of said latch by one of said manually operable members and means operable by the other of said manually operable members for disengaging said locking member from said retracting means.

3. A door latch as defined in claim 2 in which said means for disengaging said locking means comprises a cam surface on one of said latch retracting means engageable with said locking member.

4. A door latch as defined in claim l having locking means accessible adjacent one of the side plates of said escutcheon member for movement into locking position to disconnect said latch from the latch retracting means associated only with the manually operable member carried by the opposite side plate.

5. A door latch as defined in claim 4 having means actuated by the latch retractive movement of the latch retracting means adjacent said one of the side plates for reconnecting said latch to the latch retracting means on said opposite side plate.

6. A door latch as defined in claim l having a locking member for said latch movable into a locking and an unlocking position, a detent engageable with said locking member and with said spring means for retaining said locking member in either of said positions.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 431,845 Hope July 8, 1890 790,092 Voight May 16, 1905 833,198 Caley Oct. 16, 1906 2,661,977 Welch et al. Dec. 8, 1953 2,801,869 George Aug. 6, 1957 

